Monday, October 15, 2007
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
by Wendy Mass
When Jeremy, a few weeks shy of his thirteenth birthday, receives a mysterious box from his dead father, it sets him on a quest. The search, he thinks, is for the missing keys, four of them, to open the box inscribed "The Meaning of Life: For Jeremy Fink To Open On His 13th Birthday." The search, though, takes him in some most surprising paths, including the delivery of long-lost items to some very interesting characters. He takes the opportunity to learn from them, too, and by the time the four keys come together, he has been on quite the adventure. In the end, he makes an even more startling discovery, but his sense of who he is and how he fits into he world has grown, and he is filled with a greater sense of both peace and purpose.
This book was a great, fun, journey, filled with interesting people and little unexpected twists, including the one at the end. Jeremy's learning manages to not be too pat or trite, despite containing the kind of "wisdom" that could come off that way. Instead, it really gets you thinking about the search he is on, and I can see it being quite inspiring for the kind of child who thinks about their reading. Even if not, it's a terrific little read.
When Jeremy, a few weeks shy of his thirteenth birthday, receives a mysterious box from his dead father, it sets him on a quest. The search, he thinks, is for the missing keys, four of them, to open the box inscribed "The Meaning of Life: For Jeremy Fink To Open On His 13th Birthday." The search, though, takes him in some most surprising paths, including the delivery of long-lost items to some very interesting characters. He takes the opportunity to learn from them, too, and by the time the four keys come together, he has been on quite the adventure. In the end, he makes an even more startling discovery, but his sense of who he is and how he fits into he world has grown, and he is filled with a greater sense of both peace and purpose.
This book was a great, fun, journey, filled with interesting people and little unexpected twists, including the one at the end. Jeremy's learning manages to not be too pat or trite, despite containing the kind of "wisdom" that could come off that way. Instead, it really gets you thinking about the search he is on, and I can see it being quite inspiring for the kind of child who thinks about their reading. Even if not, it's a terrific little read.
Labels: 2006, good stuff, middle grades, slightly weird stuff
# posted by kittenpie @ 9:21 AM 
